It's a season of gratitude! For friends and family, good health in a pandemic and for business relationships that last decades. Thanking all of you who have read this newsletter and sent me your comments. This will be the last one, so it's appropriate to talk about the importance of gratitude.
In a season that can be so challenging for many,
one study suggests that people who regularly and intentionally count blessings tend to be happier and less depressed. They also found:
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Gratitude frees us from toxic emotions. Consciously focusing on using more positive words eventually eliminate the negative words from your vocabulary. Practicing gratitude can change our mindset.
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Practicing gratitude helps even if you don't share it. The study suggests that there are mental health benefits to writing gratitude letters, even if they are never sent.
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Gratitude's benefits take time. Like any habit, you won't see results immediately. It will take time to consciously practice gratitude - however you decide to start: by writing gratitude letters, by focusing on changing your vocabulary to include positive words and eliminate more negative words - or however you choose to do it.
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Gratitude can change your brain! Gestures of gratitude can actually be detected on an MRI! There is a lot more to be studied but initial research points to ways in which practicing gratitude can show lasting changes in your brain.
Wishing all of you a happy, healthy Holiday season and much success (however you define it!) in the New Year!
I'll be talking with you...just not in a newsletter in 2022!
